League of Unified Kaaran Nations
In theory, the League of Unified Kaaran Nations is the world government of Ketesh, adinistrating the population centres of the planet, coordinating its own small defence forces, regulating the economic interactions between rival states, and otherwise ensuring the functioning of the planet goes smoothely. In practice, though, it has always had trouble from rogue nations that refuse to recognise it's authority, member-states ignoring its directives and dismissing its authority, and even enforcing its will has been troublesome. For the most part, the nations of Ketesh, and those of Kaaran in particular, remain independent and autonymous nation-states, with the League forming a loose diplomatic coalition. The Leage was first set up after the devastating Morhekan-Mopadan Wars of the 22nd Century, in 2112 ostensibly because the individual states between the two continental superpowers had grown tired of the constant state of warfare and being forced to take sides. Membership into the League was expanded swiftly, to the surprise of its founder-states, including the three Trinity nations in the north, most of the eastern nations, and even the isolationist Narteca. Forced by overwhelming public demand, Morheka and Mopada too joined the fold, and began to process of a ceasefire - a true declaration of peace between the two nations would only come in 2553, more than four hundred years after the last outbreak of war. Since then the League's duties have expanded significantly - it has become a forum, where nations regardless of size, wealth or military might can air their grievances, discuss improvements and innovations, and where events beyond Ketesh can be discussed in the context of their effect on the planet as a whole. Perhaps the only real effect it has had, though, is in military terms. Drawing upon the collective armies, navies, air forces and fledgling space forces of its member-states, the League established the Ketesh Defence Fleet, hoping to prevent further war by the threat of mutual retaliation - no one state, or group of states, could attack another without a devastating reprisal. To this end, the League established a rudimentary space fleet, including weapon satellites and armed space stations, developing crude space fighters to intercept planetary threats to the deterrent. The closest analogue would be the Strategic Defence Initiative undertaken by the United States on 20th Century, though the League's plans were nothing so advanced or unwieldy. Though the KDF was meant to deal with local threats, its first threat would be an external one - the arrival of a Covenant Missionary Ship in 2122. Reacting to the hostile actions of the ship as it attempted to plunder Ketesh's moons of relics in an act of piracy, the KDF sustained nearly 80% casualties but destroyed the ship. When a follow-up Covenant taskforce arrived, the KDF had rebuilt itself, recruiting the best warriors from across the continent, and was fully prepared to defend its homeworld - thankfully, negtiations by the League with Covenant emmissaries would clear up this misunderstanding, and Ketesh was welcomed into the fold of the Covenant as a new colony. In the subsequent centuries, the League has resisted all attempts to remodel itself on Sanghelios institutions, preferring to retain its natively developed structure and ethos. It has benefitted greatly from becoming a member of the Covenant - technologically, as well as culturally, with much interaction with Sanghelios merchants and philosophers - but has increasingly attempted to adopt an isolationist stance, hoping to preserve the planet's unique cultural traditions and identity in the face of Sanghelios conformity. Even after the Schism, and the League's decision to officially become a protectorate of the Sangheili Armed Forces, it has struggled to revive ancient Kaaranese culture in the face of widespread adoption of Sanghelios practices, especially with the settlement of Sanghelios-born immigration bringing an influx of Sanghelios culture in its wake. Although the northern continent was abandoned during the Second Exodus, and the western continent seems never to have been inhabited by the "endemic" Sangheili, the League has funded limited colonisation projects on these continents, founding new small nation-states under its authority. Although many colonists are drawn from the Kaaran continent, many more are attracted from offworld, drawn by the romantic ideal of founding a new "frontier world". Immigration from Sanghelios and other SAF colonies has tripled from prior levels, and more than fourteen states have been founded in the north, with six to the west. All of these are technically administrated by the League - in practice, again, these states often follow their own rules, administrating themselves in their own fashion. Remarks *"Sounds like the old UN - idealistic, but toothless." *"The Morheka and Mopada still detest each other - the latter never forgave the Morheka for exiling them, while the former resent the 3rd Century Mopadan Occupation. They may have declared peace, and a Morhekan may lead the League, but there will always be tension between the two." *"Officially, the League wields all military power in the interests of preserving peace. You'd be surprised how many tanks, artillery, dropships, fighters and commandoes you can get away with calling "Militia", though."